Rescue device for submarines



Filed June 8, 1931 Patented July 2 5, 1933 arsr ARTURO GENOVA, OF MADRID, SPAIN RESCUE DEVICE non SUBMARINES Application filed June 8, 1931, Serial No. 542,987, and in Spain July 11, 1930.

The object of the present invention is to make itpossible to bring crews shut up in a submarine'boat to'the surface of the sea. By means of the invention it is possible to rescue the crews in an enclosed manner from the greatest depths to which the boat can sink without collapsing. In any case, itis not necessary to employ divers, and the submerged men are not subjected to the pres- 10 sure or temperature of the water. Moreover, no subsequent medical treatment of any kind is required, While blood ,clots, colds, and the like are avoided. The military or naval function of the ship is not affected detrimentally in any way. The invention can be fitted to most of theuexisting types of submarines. Frequent life saving practice can be carried out without danger to the safety of the ship or of its personnel. Its installation on board permits all the individual respiratory appliances to be dispensed with, which appliances are of doubtful practical use when it is necessary to abandon the ship even in shallow water. 0 The "only auxiliary external assistance neccessary is a ship of any kind which does not carry any special means whatever. The weight of the installation forming the subject of this invention is compensated for by the removal of the individual life saving appliances mentioned above, and of the telephone buoys at present employed, which also become unnecessary.

H In general terms, the system which will saving elevator or buoy is mounted.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of the guiding device for the elevator or buoy.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are diagrammatic views showing the various positions of the elevator or buoy in the act of withdrawing the latter into the receiving chamber with the submarine lying in an inclined position.

Fig. 6 is a transverse section on the line 66 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the

invention consists in fitting a fixed or dis mountable water-tight, chamber E to the hatchway; the chamber is adapted to receive an elevator orbuoy G which is attached to the submarine by a cable and travels to the surface containing a man each time it is released untilthe boat has been completely cleared.

The chamber E when it is to be dismountv able is formed by two or more semicircular sheets of metal plate 50 joined together by bolts 52 passing through flanges 51. The sections 50 are joined to the other parts of the chamber by flanges 53 and 54c, coupled together also with fluid tight joints, or by l; combination of plates and hoops. The choice of the'method of making the chamber depends upon the facilities available in the boat.

At the upper part is formed an opening which can be closed by means of a fluid tight door A in order to permit the passage of a man. At the base is provided an emptying valve 12 and a stufling box D for the passage of a cable 25. At its middle portion of the chamber there is provided one or more test Cooke 14, glass windows, manometer and valves communicating with the hydraulic system, which will be mentioned hereinafter. The structure of the chamber will conform to that of the subma rine so that it can resist the same maximum pressure as the latter.

The life saving elevator or buoy is a metal containerhaving a shape resembling that of ,a cylindrical projectile, with alower ogival extension, with the object of facilitating its entry into the chamber E when the pull. is

, exerted on a cable 25 secured to this end.

The upper end is formed by a fluid tight 9Q coveror closure T which can be operated both from inside and outside the elevator. The dimensions of the'el'evator will be those necessary to receive a man of normal size.

Externally the diameter of the elevator .9 is some centimetres less than the inside of the chamber. It will be provided with. an external attachment ring bolt m, air valve, glass windows and any necessary devices for giving signals, such as calcium phosphide cartridges, and like signaling devices. Its structure is such that it can resist an external pressure corresponding to the maximum depth at which the submarine may lie, but it nevertheless possesses sufiicient buoyancy to enable it to float when loaded with a man.

The cable 25 is of flexible steel with telephone core. The latter will serve as conductor in order to make spoken communication possible between the interior of the elevator and the submarine. The operation of drawing in or winding out the cable will be made by means of a small hand wheel C also mounted inside the boat with no further spe-' cial provision than a simple device for the electrical connections of the telephone. The stuffing box D for the passage of the cable differs from those in current use by the feature that it is formed by two bodies, the lower one being rotatable on account of the sliding movement of the cable itself through it, due to the helical form of its surface. The joint, which need not be absolutely fluid tight, is mad-e by means of two portions of plastic material one of which is placed between the cable and the movable part and the other between the latter and the fixed part. If the cable used has not a helical surface the stufing box may simply consist of a box containing stiff grease introduced therein under pressure. 7

Between the superstructure layer F and the resisting shell B there is mounted one or more small hydraulic cylinders 12. having their pistons 6 connected to the cover of the hatchway b by a pivotal system formed by piston rod V and connecting bar 0. By connecting the dead spaces alternatively with the sea and with the atmosphere inside the submarine, the piston 0 will be moved one way or the other, thus lifting or closing the cover of the hatchway. 'The same result may be obtained with the local bilge pump, when there is one available, by the addition of a certain number of valves and tubes,'or by means of compressed air, the installation being connected to the compressed air piping of the ship.

Operation-Failing all attempts to raise the damaged submarine to the surface under its own power, and when the life-saving equipment does not comprise a fixed or permanent chamber E, the crew will proceed to mount it in the available hatchway or hatchways, adjusting the sections 50 described above in order to form the chamber E, and they will naturally leave the elevator G therein. The first man will enter and the cover T will be closed after him. After having also closed the door A of the chamber E, the latter will be flooded by manipulating suitable valves 10, and 1 to 9.

When it has been filled and its pressure equals that of the sea, which can be tested by means of valve 18, the hatchway will be opened by any of the three means mentioned above. Upon lifting the cover the cable will unwind, so that the elevator G on account of its buoyancy, will rise to the surface.

Upon reaching the surface, if the state of the sea permits it, the occupant will open the cover T and, by means of the signals, lights, rockets or flags with which he is provided, he will attract the attention of the nearest ship. Should the state of the sea be such as to make the elevator liable to be flooded if is opened, its occupant can remain enclosed in the latter until he is seen, without running the risk of suffocation; for this purpose the elevator is provided with atmospheric respirators for use in such a case.

He will communicate by telephone with his companions below, and will inform them when help arrives.

When a ship comes on the scene, it will only be necessary to attach the buoy by its ring bolt on to the washboard after which the occupant may be removed and, when the cover has been closed and the fastening replaced, those down below will have to wind in the cable so as to make the elevator return to the chamber.

By the reverse operation of valves, the hatchway will be closed and the sluice emptied in order to permit a second man to enter, after which the operations described above will be repeated with this second man and then the others in the elevator until the last is reached. The latter can also be rescued.

When the elevator returns for the last time, the last man will set the suitable system of valves 10 and l to 9; he will enter the sluice chamber, close its door from within and, after opening a last slow flooding valve, the hand wheel of which is within the sluice which communicates through 15 with the hydraulic arrangement of the hatch cover, he will enclose himself with tranquility in the elevator with the certainty that in a few minutes time the chamber containing him will float in the chamber E until it presses against the cover of the hatchway and will thus assist the action of the piston which will then raise the cover, the elevator will then rise rapidly to the surface where it will be seen.

It may happen that when the shipwrecked boat rests on the bottom, it will not lie in a vertical position, in which case the cable will form a bend when the nose of the elevator touches the coaming of the hatchway and will be unable to make the elevator enter the mouth of the sluice chamber. In order to provide for this contingency, the hatchway is provided with the tilting device illustrated in detail in Figs. 2-5 which consists of a ring 47 concentric with the hatchway and with its coincident plane when it is in a normal position. I

This ring can be raised parallel to its plane for a distance of some 40 or 50 centimetres by means of any suitable mechanical device as, for instance, hand wheels 49 and screws 48 operated from inside the boat and it is employed in the following manner. I

When the nose of the boat presses against the coaming, a fact which will be indicated by the tension on the cable, the ring 47 will be raised and, by pressing on the pointed part of the elevator buoy, will move the latter and tend to centre it.

When its end is free from the coaming, a pull on the cable will cause it to swing over the ring, which will serve as a guide for enabling it to enter the chamber E. r

In new constructions, which in the future will be provided with an installation comprising the life-saving apparatus according to the invention, it may be preferable to make the coaming of the hatchway frusto conical in shape with a larger base upwards, and dispense with the ring.

What I claim is:

1. A device for rescuing the crews of submarines comprising a receiving chamber mounted in the shell of the boat a hatchcover on the receiving chamber, means for the atmosphere inside the submarine alternatively, an elevator in the form of a buoy adapted to contain a man and to be lodged in the receiving chamber, and means for re leasing the loaded elevator from the receiving chamber through the hatch, and means for drawing the elevator back into the receiving chamber, a piston, a connection between the piston and hatch cover, valves whereby the opposite sides of the piston may be alternately put in communication with the surrounding water or with the atmosphere in the submarine, and a fluid conducting connection between the piston and said chamber, and a valve for controlling said connection and operable from within said chamber.

2. A device for rescuing the crews of submarines, comprising a chamber, a buoyant elevator located in said chamber and adapted to be withdrawn therein following a rescue operation, and a guide ring concentric with the mouth of the chamber and movable relatively thereto to guide the elevator into the chamber.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, characterized by the provision of means for displacing the ring relatively to said chamber so as to engage and guide the elevator during its withdrawal into the chamber.

ARTURO GENOVA. 

